Facing a compressed timeline for a possible November ballot issue, the Estes Valley Fire Protection District Board voted Friday unanimously to hire a Colorado public affairs and political consulting firm to conduct a voter survey and guide a public education campaign on a proposed district sales tax.

At a special meeting held at 4 p.m., the board voted 5-0 to authorize Interim Fire Chief Warren Jones to negotiate a sole-source contract with The Welchert Company, led by veteran consultant Steve Welchert.

The survey will help the board decide whether to ask voters in November 2026 to approve a new sales tax that would allow the fire district to become financially independent from the Town of Estes Park.

The district currently relies on property tax revenue, an annual allocation from the town, and grant funding. Town officials want to redirect the allocation to finance a new public safety facility that would house the Estes Park Police Department and a multi-agency emergency operations center.

The current police station, located in Town Hall, occupies a building originally constructed as an elementary school in the 1930s and has been deemed too small and outdated to meet modern policing and emergency management needs.

Chief cites tight window before election

In the interest of time, Jones urged the board to suspend the competitive bidding process it had authorized just four days earlier. At the board’s May 11 special meeting, directors instructed staff to issue a request for proposals for election consulting services.

In a memo to the board, Jones said the district’s purchasing policy allows exceptions when “it is impossible or impracticable to obtain multiple quotes or bids,” including emergencies or sole-source contractors.

“The reason I am asking for this reconsideration is time,” Jones wrote.

Jones said a traditional request-for-proposals process would likely delay survey results until late June or later, jeopardizing the district’s ability to prepare for a November election.

“The process we have put in motion essentially compresses what should be a year’s process into four months,” he wrote.

Jones told board members that several firms had been contacted in recent weeks, but none indicated they could meet the district’s aggressive schedule.

The Welchert Company was recommended by the district’s attorney and by Don Lombardi, who worked with the firm while serving as chief of West Metro Fire Rescue.

Potential funding source identified

Jones said he had reviewed the district’s 2026 budget and identified two possible funding sources for the consulting work: $30,000 budgeted for elections and $145,675 budgeted for a capital reserves contribution.

Neither amount is currently committed to other expenditures.

The consultant’s draft proposal estimates a total cost of $100,000 if the district proceeds to the ballot.

That includes:

  • $20,000 for a voter survey.
  • $80,000 for public education and communications, including direct mail, digital advertising, printed materials, and consultant management.

If the survey indicates insufficient voter support, the district could terminate the contract after one month, limiting the cost to about $30,000, Welchert said.

Survey to gauge voter support

Welchert estimated that the district, which encompasses the Town of Estes Park and an area of Larimer County outside Town boundaries, has approximately 5,334 registered voters and 3,379 households, with turnout projected at roughly 70%, or about 3,780 voters.

The survey will test support for several potential sales tax rates and measure public reaction to the district’s messaging.

Welchert said a tax proposal needs significantly more than simple majority support in polling to be viable.

“With a tax question, everybody gets to vote no,” he told the board. “We need to be in the mid- to upper-50s or low 60s ideally.”

He said polling in the 40% range would be a clear indication not to proceed.

Tourists would help pay

One of the strongest arguments in favor of a sales tax is that much of the revenue would be generated by visitors rather than local residents.

Estes Park’s tourism-driven economy attracts more than 4 million visitors annually, and a large share of retail spending comes from nonresidents.

“That’s your advantage here,” Welchert said.

Supporters of the tax measure say that approach spreads the cost of maintaining fire protection and public safety infrastructure across the broader population that uses local services.

“One Vote Solves Two Public Safety Problems”

Board Chair Sandra Smith said the ballot question could be framed as part of a broader public safety strategy.

Town Administrator Travis Machalek, who participated remotely, said the town is prepared to help.

“We were somewhat of an instigator in this effort,” Machalek said. “The town is more than happy to devote any help to staff as they work through this.”

Jones summarized the concept with a phrase he said he and Machalek had discussed: “One vote solves two public safety problems.”

That potentially could become the slogan for the public support campaign.

If voters approve a district sales tax, the fire district would gain a stable revenue source while the town could redirect its current contribution to the fire district toward construction of the new public safety center.

Welchert outlined campaign strategy

In his proposal, Welchert said his firm has helped secure more than $5 billion in voter-approved funding for schools and local governments since the adoption of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.

The company has worked on ballot measures for communities including Westminster, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, Evans, Basalt, La Plata County and Fort Lupton.

Welchert said the district’s campaign would follow his firm’s guiding principle: “Plan the Work and Work the Plan.”

The proposal outlines a phased approach:

  • May and June: Conduct polling, analyze the district’s needs, and review financing options.
  • July and August: Draft a strategic communications plan, prepare ballot language, and develop required TABOR notices.
  • September and October: Continue public education and community outreach.

Welchert said the strategy may include digital advertising on Facebook, Instagram, and X, direct mail, and public town hall meetings.

Board rejects including new fire station

During the discussion, board members said they did not want to complicate the ballot issue by seeking funding for construction of a new fire station. While the staff of the EVFPD has identified a need for increased space for fire trucks, offices, and training rooms, the directors discussed that voters may be more receptive to a measure focused on sustaining operations, replacing equipment, and making modest improvements to existing facilities.

November election seen as best for voter turn out

The  November general election offers the best chance for large voter turnout , and typically the higher the turn out the better the chances are for a ballot question such as this to be supported than in a spring or odd-year election.

At the same time, the board acknowledged that economic uncertainty and resistance to higher taxes could make voter approval difficult.

After hearing Welchert’s presentation and discussing the proposal, the board voted unanimously to approve the sole-source contract.

Jones said he expects to work with the district’s attorney to finalize the agreement immediately so that survey development can begin next week.